AFC Champions League - Osako hits the high note at the right time for Vissel

Vissel: Yuya Osako was a man on a mission in Vissel Kobe’s 2-1 win over FC Seoul in their AFC Champions League Elite 2025/26™ Round of 16 second leg tie on Wednesday.

His header in the 78th minute saw the home side draw level after having been behind for much of the game to Patryk Klimala’s 20th minute strike, with Japan's Vissel eventually going on to win the game 2-1 thanks to Yosuke Ideguchi’s 89th minute goal to advance 3-1 on aggregate.

It had been a long wait for Osako - who started the competition with a strike in the opening League Stage game against China PR’s Shanghai Port FC - for a second goal, having missed four matches due to injury.

#ACLElite | R16 2nd Leg: Vissel Kobe (JPN) 2-1 FC Seoul (KOR)

"I was determined to score as I want to prove that Kobe are a strong team,” said Osako. “I knew I could score if I could get in from behind and read the ball's trajectory.

“I timed it well and put it in the right spot. Korean teams often have weaknesses in that area."

While FC Seoul head coach Kim Gi-dong was disappointed with the outcome, he was pleased with his team’s performance.

“Overall, even though we were in a difficult position, I believe we played the game positively. We started well, managed the game effectively, and scored our first goal. There was a really good atmosphere on the pitch,” said Kim.

“Even after conceding, I still believed we could fight for the next goal. Unfortunately, we made a big mistake, and the consequences were too costly.

“But what’s done is done. We lost the game, and our Champions League campaign is over. What matters now is taking this experience forward.”

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